Truck-ladder.



.|. ECKERKZ J. BIEN'ENSTOCK.-

TRUCK LADDER.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1914.

Patented May 23,1916.

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1KB QZQLUMBIA PLANGURAPH CD. WASHINGTON, D. c. I

7 7 o i 55 4a 55 3 i 67% J. ECKER & J. BIENENSTOCK TRUCK LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1914- Patented May 23,1916.

3 SHEET$SHEET 2.

J. ECKER & J. BIENENSTOCK. TRUCK LADDER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1914.

Patented May 23; 1916.

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n 1 Ma ia h THE COLUMBIA PKJ NO0RPH (20., WASHINGTON; D, c.

JOSEPH ECKER AND JOSEPH BIENENSTOQK,

OF NEW YORK, N, Y., ASSIGNORS OF ONE- TI-IIRD T0 .LASAR BLOOM, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TRUCK-LADDER.

Application filed March 25,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH EGKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, and Josnrrr BIENENSTOCK, formerly a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary and having declared an intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Truck-Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

7 Our invention relates to fire apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for use in rescuing persons orgoods, or both, from burning buildings.

The object of our invention is to provide a ladder for use at fires, having novel means cooperating therewith which may be used for conveying one or more persons at a time from a building without interrupting or interfering with the use of the ladder in the usual manner.

Our invention is especially advantageous when utilized in connection with ladders of the extension type which are mounted upon. and carried with fire trucks. The object is to increase the utility of the ladder by employing in connection therewith a simple and efficient apparatus for conveying persons from buildings and to so construct and arrange the same that the ladder may be utilized by the firemen in that usual manner without interference by the additional apparatus and without interference by the persons being conveyed by the latter. To this end we have provided a platform or conveyer which is movable up and down and is supported by the ladder and which is also so constructed and arrangedthat it will not interfere with the use of the ladder in the usual or ordinary manner.

, Another object of our invention is toprovide a conveyer which may be utilized in conjunction with ladders of the extension type. 7

Another object of our invention is to provide a conveyer which may be raised to any desired position upon. the ladder for the purpose of receiving persons at various elevations. 7

Another object of our invention is to provide a conveyer in conjunctionwith the ladder which will be effective regardless of the Specification of Letters Patent.

not change or modify Patented May 23, 1916. 1914. Serial No. 827,096.

particular angle at which the ladder is poa sitioned, 7

Another object of our invention is to provide automatic means for retaining the platformin horizontal position as the angle of the ladder is altered.

Another object of our invention is to provide means operable at the bottom of the ladder for raising and lowering the conveyer; and for raising and lowering the same in horizontal position.

Another object of our invention is to provide means for switching the conveyer from one section to the other of the ladder as the former is raised or lowered.

Another object is to provide means for temporarily attaching the fire hose to'the conveyer in order that the latter may be used for raising the hose for use upon the building,

Other features will be apparent from the detailed description. of the structure in which we have embodied our invention.

In the drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a sectional view, taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2, and showing the principal parts of our invention in elevation, Fig.2 is a front elevation thereof, with the conveyer in its lower position, Fig. 3 is a similar view, on an enlarged scale, with the conveyer removed, Fig. 4L is a vertical sectional view, on a large scale, of portions of the ladder and conveyer, Fig. 5 is a side elevation on a large scale, of'the switch for switching the conveyer from one section of the ladder to the other, Fig; 6 is a front elevation thereof, Fi 7 is a sectional view, taken on theline 7-7 the door and extensible support on the conveyer, Fig. 8 is a sectional view, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1, and it shows the conveyer in plan, Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9.9of Fig. 5, Fig. 10 is a sectional view, taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 4;, and Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail View of part of the conveyer supporting frame. Fig, 12 is a cross sectional view of the switch shown in Fig. .5.

.We have, for simplicity, omitted showing the vehicle or truck upon which the ladder is carried because the present invention does the construction thereof, nor the method of arranging the ladder thereon. It is to be understood that any well known form of truck may be used, and the of Fig. 8, and showspresent showing begins with the ladder itself and its turn table.

e have shown a turntable 1, which is of usual construction and therefore need not be described in detail; and this may be supported upon the truck in accordance with present practice. Upon the upper half 2 ofthis table there are arranged the standards 3, 4, for supporting the ladder 5. The ladder here shown consists of two sections, the lower or main section and the upper or extension section; but it is to be understood that our invention is not limited in its application to a two section ladder, as some parts of our invention may be utilized on a single section ladder, whereas the whole invention may be used on' ladders of three or more sections. It is sufiicient, in order to teach the complete application of the in vention to show but two sections. These comprise the main or lower section upper extension section 7 The latter is held in sliding engagement with thelower section 6 by the usual means. This consists of the arms 8 which in this instance are secured to the outer sides of the side bars 9 of the lower section, and the rollers 10 carried-thereby at right angles to the arms; and these rollers engage the rear surfaces of the side bars 11 of the extension section. These connections secure the sections in slidable relation so that the extension section may slide up and down against the rear surfaces of the side bars 9. The lower or main section. of the ladder is I connected with frames 12 which rock upon theshaft 13 mounted in the standards 3, 4. These frames are both provided with gear. segments 14 which mesh with and are operated by the smaller gears l5. These latterare carried upon a shaft16 j ournaled in the standards 3, 4 and are operated, in the usual manner, by

a crank 17. The operation of the crank serves to rock the frames 12' and thus turn the ladder upon its fulcrum 13, to place it at any angle of inclination. This part of the apparatus is of the usual form.

For raising and lowering the extension section? we prefer to use the same devices as are in common use. For this purpose there is shown a drum 18 mounted upon a shaft 19 which is journaled inthe brackets 20 carried upon the ladder section 6; and the shaft and drum may be operated by means of the crank 21. There is a cable 22 anchored at one end of the drum and extending over an idler 23 which is free to travel along a shaft 24:; and from this idler the cable extends over a pulley 25 carried upon one-0f the upper rungs 26 of the lower section 6; and from this pulley the cable extends down and is connected with a strap 27 on one of the lower rungs 28 of the upper or extension ladder section. There is another cable, 29, having one end anchoredto the drum 18.

6 and the of the apparatus.

and it is so arranged in relation to This cable leads off the drum oppositely to the cable 22 and it engages over an idler 30 which is also free to travel along the shaft 24. The end of this cable connects directly with the strap 27. By turning the drum 18 in one direction the cable 22 will be wound thereon and the cable 29 will be unwound therefrom; and this will cause the extension section 7 to be raised. The reverse operation of the drum will cause the cable 29 to be wound up and the cable 22 to be unwound; and this will lower the extension section.

The conveyer which we have shown herein comprises a platform and its support and suitable means for inclosing the platform. The platform comprises the side bars 31 with a suitable flooring 32 carried thereon. The frame of the conveyer includes these bars 31 as well as the upright bars 33 which are rigidly connected thereto at one end and which are connected to the inclined bars 34. The latter are fulcrumed at 35 to the side bars 31 at one end and at their opposite ends they are fulcrumed at 36 to the bars 37 arranged along the outside of the side bars of the ladder. It isto be noted that the construction of the ladder and conveyer is the same at both sides. The bars 37 extend parallel with the outer edges or surfaces of the side bars of the lower ladder section, when the conveyer is in its lower position. At the point where the bars 3 and 37 are fulcrumed, at each side of the apparatus, there is carried a roller 38 which travels in the groove 39 in the side bars 9. The bars 37 preferably terminate above the platform level and are secured at their upper ends to the bars 40 which extend laterally across the outside of the side bars 9 11 of both ladder sections. There are braces 4-1 connecting the bars 37 and 40 tojmake the construction more rigid. rollers 12 arranged at the intersections of the bars 37, 40, which also engage in the grooves 39. There are idlers 43 carried upon the forward ends of the bars 40, the purpose of which will appear hereinafter. This construction is the same at both sides ends are connected by a cross rod 4A: which renders the structure more substantial and guards against accidents in case the rollers 42 should give way. Y

The above structure is adapted to travel upand down the ladder, the rollers 38, 42. and grooves 39 controlling the direction of movement of the conveyer; that is, they re tain the conveyer in proper relation to the ladder. It will be noted that the bars 34: and bars 37 may articulate so that the angle between them may vary.

The platform 32 is horizontally disposed the ladder and its rungs that a person may travel There are I The bars 40 at their rear up and down the latter between the rungs and the platform, by reason of the inter vening space 45. From this it will be apparent that the platform does not interfere with the ordinary use of the ladder but provides for accomplishing additional results. The platform is inolosed by the sides a6, and by the forward doors d7, which latter are adapted to be swung on their hinges el8 to permit the occupants of the conveyer to step off. There are side posts 49 upon which the rear doors 50 are hinged. These latter close the entrance to the conveyer from the ladder. They are here shown arranged to swing backwardly, or toward the ladder to permit persons to pass from the ladder to the conveyer; and when so swung they guard against the persons stepping sidewise off the ladder and platform. Moving with eachv of the rear doors 50 there is a plate 51. These are disposed horizontally and lie partly under the flooring 32; and are partly supported by the brackets 52. \Vhen the doors 50 are swung open, these plates 51 move out under the floor 32 and form temporary extensions thereof to prevent persons from stepping through the'space d5. Suitable latches 53, 5a, are employed to keep the doors 50 and i7, respectively, closed.

The means for raising and lowering the conveyer consists of the following: There is a sleeve 55 arranged loosely upon the shaft 13 and up on this sleeve there is a drum 56. The sleeve 55 and the drum 56 are adapted to be revolved by means of a crank 57. It may be noted that this construction makes the turning of the frames 12 and of the drum 56 independent of one another. There are cables 58 having one end anchored in the drum 56. They leave the under side of the drum and pass around the idlers 59 which are free to travel along the arbors 60. From these idlers the cables pass up along the rear of the ladder, passing over the idlers 61 on the lower ladder section'and the idlers 62 on the extension section. They also pass over the pulleys 63 arranged at each side of the top of the extension section. From there they pass down the outside of the ladder sections, thence under the idlers 43 and are secured at 35 to the conveyer. There are other cables 64:, each having an end anchored in the drum 56. These leave the drum and pass over idlers 61, and thence over the pulleys 66 arranged near the pulleys 63. From there they pass down the outside of the ladder and are connected at 67 to the conveyer frame. hen the drum '56 is revolved in one direction the cables 58 and cables 64 will all be wound thereon. The cables 58 will not only serve to support the outer end of the conveyer and the cables 64 the inner end near the ladder, but all four cableswill serve to raise the conveyor upon the ladder as the drum 56 is revolved. We

have shown an ordinary band brake 68 operated by the lever 69 and operating upon the drum 56 for retaining the conveyer at any desired elevation and for permitting it to be gradually lowered. Any desired additional means may be employed for holding the drum if desired. If the inclination of the ladder is altered, the lower idlers 61 will move toward or from the idlers 59; or, it may be said that the rear runs of the cables 58 will be shortened or lengthened as the ladder is swung from one angle to another. The cables 64, however, since they leave the drum direct and near the fulcrum of the ladder, will not have their inner runs shortened .or lengthened as the ladder is swung, or at least not to the same extent as the runs of the cables 58. To the same eX-- tent that the rear runsof the cables 58 are shortened the front runs, which connect with the conveyer, are lengthened; and, con versely, the front runs are shortened to the same extent that the rear runs are lengthened. The cables 6%, as above pointed out, do not change or at least not to the same eX- tent. The result of the lengthening and shortening of the forward runs of the cables will be that the conveyer will be automatically rocked upon the fulcrum 36, thus changing its angle of inclination. This change occurs simultaneously with the change in the inclination of the ladder. V

The result of this is, that the platform re mains horizontal no matter at what angle of inclination the ladder is placed. This is important as it makes it unnecessary for the operator to give any attention to the inclination of the platform and it avoids any pos sibility of the operator tipping the platform and tossing the occupants out. The preservation of the horizontal position of the platform in this manner in no way interferes. with the raising and lowering of the conveyer.

As the ladder here shown comprises overlapping sections it is necessary to switch the conveyer frame from one section to the other.

It will be noted that the upper ends 70 of the grooves 39 turn off to the rear of the side bar-e 9. The section 7 has grooves 71 on the outer side of each side bar 11 and at their lower ends, 72, these grooves turn forwardly to meet the ends of the grooves 39.

If the section 7 is raised to its extreme povided for this. There is a turnout from the groove 71 at some point higher than the turnout 72; the ladder may be extended less than its full length, where this turnout 7 3 will aline with the portion of groove 39. WVhen the parts are thus positioned, the rollers 38 and 42 of the conveyer will enter this turnout v73 and pass into'groove 71. For returning, however, it is necessary to provide means for switching the rollers back from groove 71 to groove 39 as otherwise they would follow down the former. There is a switch 74 fulcrumed to rock on the pin 75; and it has a spring 76 for drawing it in one direction. One wall of the groove 71 has a recess 77 to receive the upper end of the switch, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. hen the switch extends into this recess, as it does when held over by the spring 7 6, it leaves the groove 71 open for the rollers to pass; as when the ladder is used at its full length as described. In the'opposite wall 78 of the groove 71 there is another recess 7 9, which also receives the end of the switch, as shown in full lines in Fig. 5. These recesses 77 and 79 are not as deep as the groove 71, so that they receive the end of the switch, but the rollers 38, 42, will not enter therein. hen the ladder'is extended to the position shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 6, the

latches 80 on the section 6 will be pressed by their springs 81 into sockets 82 on the sections 7; and this will indicate to the operator that the turnouts 73 and 70 properly aline. The plate 83 carries a spring 84 which engages a pin 85 on the switch; and when the extension is positioned as shown in Fig. 5 this spring throws the switch over from the dotted line position to the full line position and into the recess 79. If, now, the conveyer is raised, the rollers 88, 4.2 will pass into 7 3, thence past the switch and into groove 71; and they will follow on up the ladder. Upon their return they will engage the switch and will be caused thereby to turn into groove 39 again and follow down the ladder. When the ladder is folded, or extended beyond that shown in Fig. l ,'the switch is drawn over by its spring 76 to leave the groove 71 uninterrupted.

The operation of the invention has been set forth in the foregoing description. The ladder may be turned upon its turntable in the usual manner to bring it to the desired position for raising. It may be raised to the desired inclination by operating the crank 17. During this operation, or a any time that the inclination of the ladder is being changed, the platform automatically remains horizontal, regardless of what its elevation at the time may be.

The ladder may be extended or folded by operating the crank 21. After the ladder has been positioned the conveyer may be raised and lowered by operating the crank 57 and by manipulating the brake, but it will always remain horizontal. Persons may be received upon the platform from some ortion of the buildin or from some rung of the ladder; and the doors 50 are to be swung open for this purpose. \Vhatever may be the position of the conveyer at any time the firemen, or others, may freely travel up and down on the rungs of the ladder. I That is, they may pass between the rungs and the platform; so that the latter doesnot interfere with the ordinary use of the ladder.

lVe have provided a bracket 86 at the middle and lower portion of the conveyer, having a clamp 87 to receive and hold the nozzle 88 on the fire hose 89. By securing the nozzle in this clamp the end of the hose may be raised with the conveyer, and may be detached from the clamp and used at any desired location.

Changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as the same is set forth in the following claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim is:

l. A device of the class described, comprising a ladder consisting of extensible sections. a movable conveyer, said sections having grooves provided with turnouts adapted to register, said conveyer having means engaging the grooves and guided thereby in relation to the several sections, and means for moving the conveyer upon the ladder.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a ladder consisting of extensible sections, a movable conveyer, means. for

guiding said conveyer in relation to the several sections, a switch for switching the conveyer from one section to the other, and means for automatically positioning the switch.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a ladder consisting of extensible sections, a movable conveyer, having engaging members, said ladder sections having grooves for guiding said engaging members, provided with turnouts, adapted to register, at least one of said sections having turnouts adapted to register with a turnout on the other section at different extended positions of the ladder, a switch for directing said engaging members into one of said plurality of turnouts or for guiding them past the same, and automatic meansfor positioning said switch.

4:. A device of the class described, comprising a ladder, means for varying the inclination of the ladder, a platform movable up and down the ladder, and means for retaining the platform in horizontal position as the inclination of the ladder is varied.

5. A device of the class described, complatform in horizontal position.

6. A device ofthe class described, comprising a ladder, means for varying the inclination thereof, a platform movable up and down the ladder, pivotal. means for guiding the platform in relation to the ladder, raising and lowering means engaging the platform at diflerent distances from the ladder, and means for automatically modifying the relation of said raising and lowering means as the inclination of the ladder is varied, to retain the platform in horizontal position.

- 7 A device of the class described, comprising a ladder composed of extensible sections, a platform movable up and down the latter, said sections having guiding grooves and said platform having means traveling in said grooves for guiding the platform in relation to said several sections, means for varying the inclination of the ladder, means for raising and lowering the platform and means for automatically'retaining the platform in horizontal position as the inclination of the ladder is varied.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a ladder, a frame, comprising bars guided upon the ladder, bars extending outwardly and fulcrumed to said first bars, a platform'carried by said second bars, flexible means for operating said frame, including flexible means connected with said first bars and flexible means connected to the outer portions of said second bars and means for operating said flexlble means to move 7 the platform.

9. A device of the class described, comprising a ladder having grooves, means for varying theinclination of the ladder, a conveyer, including a platform, and a frame guided upon said ladder, and including relatively swinging members, cables acting upon the conveyer at different distances from the ladder to support the conveyer thereon, a drum for operating said cables together, and means for automatically modifying said cables as the inclination of the ladder is varied, to retain the platform in horizontal position.

10. A device of the class described, com- A prising a ladder, a platform spaced therefrom to permit passage between the ladder andplatform, means for raising and lowering the platform, means forming an inclosure for the platform, and including doors opening toward the ladder, and means operated with said doors to bridge the space between the platform and ladder.

11. A device of the class described, comprising a ladder, a support to which the ladder is fulcrumed, whereby the inclination of the ladder may be varied, a platform movable up and down the ladder, a'flexible member for supporting the platform on the ladder, a drum upon which said flexible member may be wound, arranged near the fulcrum of the ladder, means spaced from said drum over which the said flexible member engages and so disposed that it will automatically so modify the flexible member when the inclination of the ladder is varied as to retain the platform in horizontal position.

Signed in the city, county and State of New York, this 13th day of March, 191%.

JOSEPH ECKER. JOSEPH BIENENSTOCK. Witnesses:

CHARLES G. HENsLEY, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

V Washington, D. G." 

